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Arizona Diamondbacks Spring Training 2006 Report

This is one of the more lackluster season for contenders in the minor league portion of the Spring Training rosters.

Conor Jackson (MLN FAB50 Baseball 2005 No. 9 , 2004 No. 28) blew out Tucson, but struggled a bit more with his D-Backs debut. We believe he will survive, but it may be a while before he contributes at top form. Likewise Andy Green and Scott Hairston did well down Tucson way but paused in Phoenix.

One player is possibly an anomaly in the career. Two is also not remarkable. When you have three or more such talented prospects underperform when they come up, it does raise a few question markets about how the major league club's management is handling new talent.

Catcher Miguel Montero and infielder Stephen Drew look to be promising candidates for 2008 or 2009.

All the buzz from the major media has been about Justin Upton, the Diamondbacks No. 1 pick and first overall in the June 2005 MLB Draft. He's a gifted player both defensively and at the plate. He's also the younger brother of Tampa Bay's B.J. Upton (MLN FAB50 Baseball 2005 No. 3), who has the similar potential but doesn't have his brother's glove. Upton may move to the outfield where his range will be a plus, and the Diamondbacks are looking for immediate help. MiLB ranked this guy top ten, but he's a long way from a major league spot until he pays his dues for a bit in the minors. He could also follow brother BJ and struggle a bit in his early pro career. They could rush him, particularly if the team struggles and they need to feed the local media machine. It's more likely, though that he'll probably come up in 2008 or 2009 at the earliest.

Pitching is lackluster in the 40 Man minor and NRI list this Spring. Dustin Nippert, who played for Tennessee last season, is the only modestly exciting prospect that we saw in the prime time roster.